1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to image processing techniques and, in particular, to a system and method for automatically cropping a graphical image based on object images included within the graphical image.
2. Related Art
Cropping techniques can sometimes be employed to improve the appearance of a picture or photograph. For example, a photographer may inadvertently take a picture of an object that is undesirably positioned within the picture. One or more sides of the picture may be cropped to make the object of interest appear to be better positioned within the picture.
In another example, a photographer may inadvertently take a picture of an object that the photographer would rather not have included in the picture. As an example, while a photographer is taking a picture of a scene that is of interest to the photographer, a person of no interest to the photographer may walk into or reside in the scene without the photographer being aware of the person's presence in the scene. Thus, the photographer may take a picture that inadvertently includes the person of no interest to the photographer. If the image of this person is located close to an edge of the picture, cropping techniques can be employed to remove the portion of the picture that includes the unwanted image of the person.
In another example, a photographer may take a picture of an object and focus his attention on the object rather than on the surroundings of the object. As a result, the photographer may be unaware of the extent that the object's surroundings are included in the picture. In such a situation, it may be desirable to crop the edges of the picture to remove some of the surroundings such that the image of the object has more prominence within the resulting picture. There are various other situations in which image cropping may be employed to improve the appearance of a picture.
Before employing image cropping techniques, a user typically analyzes the image to determine if it would be desirable to crop any portions of the image. Once the user selects a portion of the image that should be cropped, the user may then employ conventional image cropping techniques to improve the appearance of the picture.
With the introduction of digital cameras, the process of cropping images has generally been facilitated. In this regard, software enhancement programs have been developed that allow users to easily enhance digital images via image cropping and other image enhancement techniques. However, most of these programs require the user to expend time and effort in analyzing an image to determine how a picture can be enhanced. Thus, there exists a heretofore unaddressed need in the industry for simplifying image enhancement techniques such that users can obtain high quality images with less time and effort.